52 Days by Camel, My Sahara Adventure  •  Debora Pearson  •  Lawrie Raskin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 88 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A travelogue for middle readers, much in the spirit of an adult travelogue but with full-color pictures and a child-friendly emphasis on camels, unusual people, outsize weather and benign adventure. Raskin's journey was inspired by a signpost in Morocco which read "Timbuktu 52 Days". He sets out from Fez and ends up (52 days later?) in Timbuktu, whence he continues on to the salt mines of Taoudenni, Mali. (NAF11, $14.95)
Africa (Eyewitness Books)  •  Yvonne Ayo  •  Geoff Dann  •  Ray Moller CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  HARD COVER • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A thoroughly illustrated overview of traditional ways of life throughout Africa in the highly visual Eyewitness series. Each two-page spread is devoted to a specific aspect of African life, such as home-building, medicine and religion. Geared for children ages 9-12. (AFR59, $15.99)
Empires of Medieval West Africa: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay  •  David C. Conrad HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 128 PAGES An authoritative survey of the history, traditions and cultures of the Mali, Songhay, and Ghana empires and the western horn of Africa. A volume in the eight-volume series on Great Empires of the Past, geared for middle schoolers, the book is a good overview for anyone with an interest in the history of the region. (WAF82, $35.00)
Kings and Queens of West Africa  •  Sylvianne Anna Diouf HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An appealing souce of information about West African history for readers ages 9 to 12. This slim, fully illustrated volume is a sequence of brief biographies of notable rulers of Senegal, Mali and Ghana. (AFR119, $8.95)
Mansa Musa  •  Khephra Burns  •  Leo Dillon  •  Diane Dillon BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 56 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This fascinating biography follows Mansa Musa from his lowly boyhood in 14th-century West Africa to his adolescence as a slave in a foreign desert to his ultimate ascendance as king of Mali. Khephra Burns writes marvelously, and the Dillons' illustrations are out-and-out transcendant. It's a treasure for readers ages 8-12. (WAF60, $18.00)
Nzingha, Warrior Queen of Matamba  •  Patricia McKissack LITERATURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 136 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS In West Africa of the 1500s, the Matamba are caught up in a life-and-death battle against Portuguese slave traders. Nzingha, the 13-year-old princess, dreams of leading her people to triumph -- as recorded in this imagined diary, written by Newbery Honor author Patricia G. McKissack. It's a novel in the young-adult "Royal Diaries" series. The book is designed to feel like a real princess's diary, with gold-embossed pages and a sturdy binding. (WAF64, $10.95)
Uncommon Traveler, Mary Kingsley in Africa  •  Don Brown BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 30 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An illustrated biography of Mary Kingsley, a Victorian woman who, at the age of 30, set out to see the world. Brown tells of her adventures in West Africa, including a run-in with a hippo, a fall into a snake-filled pit, and an indecorous crash through the roof of a hut. Nice, atmospheric watercolor illustrations supplement the understated but engaging text. Good for kids age 4 to 8. (WAF57, $16.00)
The Village That Vanished  •  Ann Grifalconi LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 40 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Young Abikanile and her mother lead their village in a daring and ingenious escape from a band of slave traders. The message of faith and cooperation will inspire young readers. (WAF111, $6.99)